San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel took the NFL by storm during the 2021 season. Head coach Kyle Shanahan turned him into a hybrid weapon offensively, helping compensate for the team’s lack of running backs. It turned out to be an excellent decision as Samuel was a force with the ball in his hands.
He ended the season with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, adding 59 rushes for 365 yards and eight more scores. It resulted in a First Team All-Pro nomination and a Pro Bowl nod for him.
There was some discussion that Samuel would be on the move after that season as contract negotiations didn’t go well with the 49ers. But, a new deal was eventually worked out as the sides agreed to a contract that pays him $71.5 million. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan in 2022.
The only season that was less productive for Samuel in his career was an injury-riddled 2020 campaign when he played in only seven games. But, his per-game numbers were even better in that season, as 2022 was arguably the worst of his four seasons with the 49ers.
Heading into 2023, Samuel is looking to put last season behind him. He has set a unique goal for himself, as he was not thrilled with how he looked on the field when reviewing tape with Shanahan.
“Just going through the tape, it was, ‘Look at how sluggish and how bad you look on tape,'” Samuel said. “I’ll never put nothing like that back on tape again.”
A motivated Samuel is certainly a dangerous Samuel. He has already proven how dominant he can be on the field and will be looking to get back to that level this season. Now that his contract situation is behind him, he can focus solely on football and putting himself in the best position to succeed on the field.
“The main focus this year is just to get back to the summer of what I did in 2021,” Samuel said. “Not even the season, just the summer and getting back to the groove of things and getting back in the routine.”
If Samuel is able to approach the level he reached in 2021, this already scary offense is going to be that much tougher to contain. He and Brandon Aiyuk are staking their claim to the best wide receiver duo in the NFL and will look to cement that status this season as Aiyuk has some motivation to play well with an extension coming his way soon.
